Hopeless Pursuit
by DragonFang2011
Summary: Kenta misses Ryuga, then he comes back. Summary sucks because I can't think of anything else to say. Rated T for safety. Enjoy! ;P DONE!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. It's been two months after Rago and Nemesis' defeat, and all's pretty good in Metal City... Meh. Lets just cut to the chase.

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><p>Kenta sped along the sidewalk towards the B-Pit, his heart racing with hope.<p>

_Please, please, please..._ he prayed.

He burst into the shop, panting. "Madoka, have you-"

"No, Kenta, I haven't found any information on Ryuga yet." Madoka sighed. "And if I had, you'd be the first to know."

Tournament records - that was what Kenta was after. If Ryuga was alive, and had somehow obtained a new Beyblade, he would be in a tournament. If not, there would have to be reports of strange lights or explosions.

_Anything would do_, Kenta thought.

"Kenta," Gingka said. "You've been asking that almost every day." It was the first time he had spoken up about how uncomfortable his friend's obsession was.

Kenta sat down on the ground and bowed his head. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's just that... I just can'tbelieve it's been two months since he... disappeared. I miss him so much." He was itching to venture off into the wilderness again - training endlessly, struggling to stay on a trackless path.

He could do that... he could storm out of the shop and make his way to the distant mountains and forests, but he didn't. _It just wouldn't be the same without Ryuga._ Kenta knew that. He wasn't happy about the fact that Ryuga could no longer be at his side, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that Ryuga probably wouldn't come back.

Gingka exchanged a sad glance with Madoka.

Kenta frantically beat the counter with his fist, already knowing what they were about to say. "He's not dead! He wouldn't die so easily!" He felt like he was about to throw a very rare tantrum, which has not happened for years.

"How do you know that?" Madoka murmured.

Kenta's brown eyes were shining with unshed tears. Gingka embraced him, trying to comfort his friend. "Don't be upset, Kenta; I'm sure that he's out there somewhere. There's a reason why he gave you his Star Fragment, and that's because you're an amazing blader!"

Kenta blinked back his tears forcefully. "You really think so?"

"We know so, Kenta," Gingka told him.

"It's impressive that he had let you train with him," Madoka said. "He must've seen a lot of potential in you! I know I have!"

Their words were comforting, but Kenta knew that _nobody_ would be able to mend the gap in his circle of friends. So he just nodded and stood up. "I'm gonna go and train." Because there was nothing that made him feel more connected to Ryuga than an intense training session.

"Okay." Gingka smiled at him. "I'll go with you."

"No thanks." Kenta sighed halfheartedly. "I want to be alone." He trudged out of the shop, pretending not to notice his friends' concerned faces.

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><p>After an hour of treacherous training, the green-haired blader sighed, withdrew his Flash Sagittario from the Bey Stadium, and sighed. He stared at his Beyblade - still slightly warm in his palm - and wondered if he truly was worthy of wielding such a powerful Legendary Bey. The tall spin track made it quite difficult to grasp the golden top properly, but Kenta was used to it.<p>

Ryuga: His traveling companion... teacher... partner... _friend_... had died giving the power of this Beyblade to Kenta. But the Sagittario-wielder was still uncertain, uneasy; _Was his sacrifice worth it?_ he thought.

Now that Rago was defeated, there was no danger in the world - and everyone was able to relax... for the moment. Who knew when disaster will strike again?

If - no, _when_ - it does, would he be ready for it? He _would_.

Kenta tightened his grip around his Beyblade, feeling the all-too-familiar surge of determination flow through him, giving him a fresh burst of confidence. "I won't burden my friends with this," he said aloud. "I have to move on."

He let out a shaky breath and made his way towards the audience seats. It was harder than he had thought it would be. He knew that it was impossible to forget Ryuga - his flashing yellow eyes proud and cold, his unmistakable white and red hair (much like the Japanese flag), as well as the aura of power and superiority that he had always managed to weave around himself.

He stood out in a crowd.

People _feared_ him - _respected_ him. _Admired_ him.

Ryuga was - in his own way - unique. And very much unforgettable.

He was caring in an odd, distant sort of way. Although he and Kenta had never spoken much in their travels, without saying anything, they had become a team. They memorized each other's battle styles, and body language. They had grown so accustomed to each other's company that words were not needed for them to be able to cooperate with each other.

Kenta just sat there - seemingly rooted to his seat - for several minutes.

"Kenchi!"

The mentioned blader turned to the right. "Oh. Hi, Yu, Tsubasa."

His fellow bladers plopped down to his left, Yu the closest. "Are you done training, Kenchi? Do you wanna battle?" Flame Libra's owner bounced up and down on his seat, dark emerald-green eyes sparkling in excitement.

Kenta shook his head as politely as he could muster, a little peeved that his silent brooding was interrupted so loudly.

"No thanks, Yu," he said. "I'm a little tired."

Yu's smile vaporized. "Oh. Okay." Then, that grin popped back onto his face. "What about later?"

"Yeah," Kenta murmured. "Later."

His friend's blond eyebrows furrowed in thought. "You're still sad about what happened to Ryuga, aren't you?" he asked, putting a hand on Kenta's shoulder.

Tsubasa angled his head towards the two smaller boys, his dark gold eyes plainly displaying concern.

"Mm-hm," the green-haired blader admitted.

"I'm sure he's alive!" Yu chirped, swinging his feet. "Ryuga's not the kind of guy who could be taken down so easily! You shouldn't give up!"

"I haven't." Kenta was lying through his teeth. He had already given up.

Yes, Kenta was determined. But he couldn't keep going forever - especially if the chances of Ryuga being alive were one in a million. It was impossible for someone to disappear into thin air without the help of a Bey. L-Drago had disintigrated. Without L-Drago's help, Ryuga wouldn't have been able to disappear like he always did.

There was only one explanation - the Dragon Emperor was _dead_.

_Get over it, Kenta._

Yu grinned at him. "That's good. You should never lose hope. Well, of course you wouldn't - you're Kenta! Determined... I bet a dozen ice-cream cones that that's why Ryuga let you travel with him before he disappeared." He beamed as if that fixed everything.

Which it didn't.

Yu just made him feel worse, mentioning the reason why Ryuga had started training with him in the first place. Knowing that he had violated that treasured fact by giving up on Ryuga left a bitter taste in Kenta's mouth.

He resisted the urge to strangle Yu. Sometimes, it was truly hard to maintain a friendly demeanor. "What did you come here for, anyway?" he asked, putting on his usual mask of optimism and trying to get rid of the conflicted feelings bouncing around in his head.

"Gingka said that you were going to train," Tsubasa said. "so we checked every training place around."

Kenta gritted his teeth.

"We're all worried about you, Kenchi," Yu said. "Come back to us. I'm not saying that we're gonna try and replace Ryuga, but..." His voice faltered.

The trio was silent, each submerged in their own thoughts.

Kenta closed his eyes and let the tears flow once again. He was always so emotional when it came to his friends.

"Kenchi?" Yu wore an expression of vivid shock on his face. He rubbed his friend's back, trying to soothe him. "Don't cry, Kenchi."

Of course, that only made him cry harder.

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><p>Do you guys think that I should continue?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

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><p>Kenta lay in his bed at his house, staring blankly at the ceiling. Moonlight streamed through the curtains, illuminating his messy bedroom - on the scattered books, the bright screen of his computer, and several food wrappers. His mother never bothered to make him clean it; she knew that there was no persuading him.<p>

He sighed through his nose and sat up, unable to sleep. He angled his head to stare at the clock - 2:34 a.m. Restless, he jumped off his mattress and onto a chair to study his computer screen. There were no tournaments coming yet... An e-mail popped up from Yu.

_**flamelibrat145es: **kenchi u up?_

Kenta sighed in exasperation, coming to the conclusion that his friend was insane. Okay, maybe Yu wasn't the only one who was up at two-thirty-five a.m. in the morning. He shook his head, half-relieved that he wasn't alone, typed a reply, and clicked _SEND_.

_**SGTO145:** what r u doing up so late?_

_**flamelibrat145es:** what r U doing up so late? _:)_ yeah thats right. i sassed u_

Kenta rolled his eyes good-naturedly and grinned.

_**SGTO145:** ur so smart_

_**flamelibrat145es:** thnk u. i am clever arent i?_

_**SGTO145:** eh. cant sleep_

_**flamelibrat145es:** me 2_

_wanna beybattle?_ :)

_**SGTO145:** no thanks. my moms still up _:(

He sighed in disappointment. He could still hear his mother humming from the kitchen below his bedroom, pots and pans clanging as she tossed them into the sink, probably. The occasional hiss of pain came, either because she cut herself, burned herself, or dropped something onto herself. She was clumsy.

_**flamelibrat145es:** y_

_**SGTO145:** i dunno. she has this huge bake sale tom._

_**flamelibrat145es:** _:D _is she gonna have ice-cream? _

_Is ice-cream all he could think about at this hour?_ he thought, snickering.

_**SGTO145:** i think so... its a bake sale so i dont know_

_**flamelibrat145es:** thats good. can i come over tom?_ As if he ignored the "i dont know" part.

**_SGTO145: _**'T_T_ u just want ice-cream dont u? _

_**flamelibrat145es:** that obvious?_ X3

_**SGTO145:** yeah... u know i never understood y u named urself librat_

_**flamelibrat145es:** im not a brat_

_**SGTO145:** i never said that_

_but tsubasa does_

_**flamelibrat145es:** _-.- _tsubasas a kj _

_**SGTO145:** im telling on u_

_**flamelibrat145es:** goody2shoes_

_**SGTO145:** _:P _no im not_

_**flamelibrat145es:** are 2_

_**SGTO145:** are not_

_**flamelibrat145es:** are 2_

_**SGTO145:** are not_

_**flamelibrat145es:** are 2_

_**SGTO145:** are not_

_**flamelibrat145es:** are 2_

_**SGTO145:**are not_

_**flamelibrat145es:** are 2_

_**SGTO145:** are not_

There was a long pause before Yu replied again.

_**flamelibrat145es:** are 2_

Kenta huffed, in both frustration and amusement.

_**SGTO145:** THIS IS DOING NOTHING!_

_**flamelibrat145es:** i know _XD

Suddenly, a familiar bright blue light pierced the sky, several blocks away from Kenta's house. He gasped.

_**SGTO145:** bye_

_**flamelibrat145es:** y? :((_

_**SGTO145:** bcuz i just saw something_

_**flamelibrat145es:** what?_

But Kenta was already getting dressed, struggling to put on his Beyblade equpiment and socks in the darkness. He slipped out of his bedroom door and crept quietly down the stairs, past the kitchen, and across the living room. He pulled on his shoes, opened the front door, and took off running, his keys jingling in his pocket.

"Kenta!" he heard his mother yell in panic.

But the green-haired boy tirelessly sprinted towards the column of light, which was beginning to thin. _It's coming from Bey Park_, he realized half-consciously. He sped up the pace, then almost tripped over a dark figure lying on the ground.

"Ryuga?" He recognized the messy white-and-red hair and the torn-up clothes he'd been wearing at the battle with Nemesis, before he had disappeared. The young man's eyes were closed tightly and he was shivering, muttering inaudible things underneath his breath as if he were experiencing horrible nightmares, which was probably true. Kenta knelt down over his friend, rubbing his scraped arms to bring warmth back into his body, as hurried footsteps rushed towards them.

"Kenta!" his mother hissed again, eyes wild with worry. "Don't ever do that-" Her eyes fell upon the person lying on the ground; she muttered, "What happened?" then gently slung Ryuga's arm around her shoulders. She gestured for Kenta to help, and he supported Ryuga's right side, wrapping an arm around his hips. Mother and son slowly hauled the injured teen back to their house and onto the couch.

Hotaru (A/N: I'm tired of calling her Kenta's mother) dressed and bandaged the wounds with shaky hands, her eyebrows bunched in concentration. "This is the guy from Battle Bladers, right?" she finally asked her son.

Kenta nodded, fetching the blankets from the hall closet, then remembered that she couldn't see him. "Yeah. He's the one who trained me and gave me the Star Fragment." Hotaru tucked a strand of blond hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear. "I haven't forgotten _that_ one," she murmured.

She pulled Ryuga's ruined shirt off him and ran her fingers over his evenly-muscled chest, prodding his ribs. She frowned in concern. "He not only has a lot of cuts and bruises, but he's got a couple of broken ribs, too," she observed, wrapping an ace bandage tightly around his torso.

"Broken ribs?" The two Yumiyas turned to the door. Yu and Tsubasa were standing in the open doorway, which Kenta had forgotten to close. Tsubasa looked like Yu had just dragged him out of bed, and knowing Yu, he'd probably even literally dragged him.

"Ryuga!" Yu yelped, running to the arm of the couch and examining the former blader's wounded face. Then, his dark green eyes lit up in excitement. "The light you told me aboutin your e-mail - did it come from him?" he asked Kenta. The Sagittario wielder nodded energetically. "I ran as fast as I could."

"I can't believe he's back," Tsubasa said. "But how?"

Yu glared at him. "What matters is that he's alive, and not dead, like we'd thought." Then, he turned to Kenta. "See, Kenta? If you don't give up, good things'll happen." He beamed and with Hotaru's nod, helped drape the blankets over Ryuga.

But Kenta's mind was racing with joy, confusion, and guilt. He pushed those thoughts aside. "How long could he stay?" he asked hopefully.

"As long as he wants," his mother decided, sending her son an affectionate gaze.

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><p>Sorry. This was kind of rushed, and I don't think I did a very good job...<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

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><p>Kenta opened his eyes and felt a figure next to him. He turned his head. <em>Yu?<em> he thought in confusion. _Oh... _Now_ I remember._ He wriggled out from under the blankets and stood up from the carpeted floor of the living room. Ryuga was still lying down on the couch, peacefully unconscious.

He looked out of the window and spotted his mother setting up tables for the bake sale, aided by the other mothers of the neighborhood. As he wandered into the kitchen, he noticed Tsubasa at the table, sipping a steaming cup of coffee.

"'Morning, Tsubasa," Kenta said with a yawn. The Eagle-wielder dipped his head at the shorter blader. "'Morning, Kenta. Is Yu still asleep?" Kenta nodded. "Yeah. He must've gotten tired, staying up all night and then running all the way here to see me."

Tsubasa shrugged. "He's a pretty hyper kid, remember that. He'll be up and running in no time."

Before Kenta could respond, Yu bolted into the kitchen as if on signal, sparkling emerald eyes wide and _very_ much awake. He leaped onto a chair, and grabbed a slice of toast from the platter. "Good morning!" he yelled through a mouthful of bread. Tsubasa wiped a tiny bit of wet toast off his cheek in disgust. "Don't be so loud, little boy. Ryuga's still resting."

Yu made a face at him. "Don't call me little boy, Eagle-Man!" (A/N: I heard the nickname being tossed around the website, and it kind of stuck.)

"Eagle-Man" rolled his eyes nonchalantly. Kenta hid a smile and started nibbling on some toast as well.

"I called Madoka and told her about Ryuga," Hotaru said from the doorway. Kenta and Yu froze in mid-chew and Tsubasa just indifferently gulped down another mouthful of coffee. "Aw! _I_ wanted to call them!" Yu blurted out, standing up. "That's so stinky!"

Tsubasa grabbed Yu's hair and yanked him back into his seat. "Show some respect, little boy." Yu glared at him, looking like he was about to throw a tantrum. Hotaru sighed, but her brown eyes were sparkling in amusement at the young boy's behavior. "They should be here by now." She opened the side door that led outside and left to help the others with the sale.

Kenta grinned. "Alright!" Somehow, having Gingka and the others over made him feel better about finding Ryuga.

Yu snatched Tsubasa's wallet away from the silver-haired teen. "I wanna buy something from the bake sale!" he announced, before making his way quickly out of the kitchen. Tsubasa followed him, golden eyes burning in fury. "Give me back my wallet, brat!"

"Why don't you make me?" Yu's voice echoed from down the hall. Then, "GINGKIE! BEN-BEN! YO-YO! And... Madoka!"

"Hey, Yu!"

"What's up?"

Kenta followed Tsubasa as the older male made his way to the living room. Gingka, Benkei, Kyoya, and Madoka were standing in the doorway. "Come in, you guys," Kenta said. The four stepped into the house a little hesitantly, as if the ground were booby-trapped. "BU-BU-BU-BU-BULL! Ryuga's really here? He's alive?" Benkei yelled.

_Be quiet_, Kenta wanted to snap at him. Sometimes, Benkei's hyper attitude annoyed him; he was always so loud. He had a feeling that Benkei would never become a spy.

"Of course!" Yu scoffed. "You think Kenta's mom would kid about that?" He gestured to the couch. "He's right here."

"He's badly hurt, huh?" Madoka knelt down to stroke the cuts on Ryuga's face. Tsubasa nodded. "Kenta said that he saw a bright light around two o'clock. He found Ryuga on the street; he was the one who was emitting that light. I saw it too; it was the same color as the one that showed up when he was giving his Legend Blader power to Kenta."

"Huh," Kyoya grunted.

"I can't wait 'til he wakes up!" Gingka said. "I wanna challenge him to a battle!"

Kenta frowned at him, knowing that Gingka had forgotten something. "He doesn't have a Bey."

The Pegasus-wielder gasped. "No Bey? But... how will he be able to battle? What's he gonna do once he realizes that he doesn't have a Beyblade? Does he even know that L-Drago's not here? NO, NO, NOOOOO! THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO A BLADER!" He started crying quite loudly.

"Shut up!" Kyoya snapped.

"When you lost Storm Pegasus, you didn't throw a tantrum," Madoka pointed out.

"But he adjusted; he found Galaxy Pegasus," Kenta argued. "I don't think there's another L-Drago." Everyone in the room stared at Ryuga, knowing that there was truth in what Kenta had said. "This is terrible!" Benkei sputtered. "BU-BU-BULL!"

"However he's gonna take the news," Gingka said. "I do _not_ wanna be the one who tells him." It was probably his attempt at humor, but no one really took the comment to heart. Instead, they took it quite seriously. They transferred their gazes to Kenta. "W-WHAT?" he yelped. "WHY ME?"

"Because you're Ryuga's BFF," Tsubasa scoffed. "We're not BFFs!" Kenta said indignantly. "We're not BFs, and I don't think we're even Fs!" (A/N: I got the base of this quote from Kevin of Fred: The Show, which doesn't belong to me.)

"You're the person closest to him," Yu said.

"He's... He's gonna... punch me!" Kenta wailed, trying to get out of his sticky situation - he failed. Madoka raised an eyebrow. "Not to sound like a horrible person," she began uncertainly. "But hasn't he inflicted wounds onto you a lot?"

"You sound like a horrible person," Benkei said bluntly. She glared at him.

"And the answer is yes," Kenta admitted. Then, he looked at his feet, feeling somehow guilty. "But... I don't want to be the one to hurt him. Losing a Beyblade... that's a touchy and delicate subject. How do I know that he's gonna remain sane?"

"He wasn't completely sane to begin with," Kyoya said.

"That's not nice!" Gingka said. His rival snorted. "I'm not a very nice person. Problem?"

"BU-BU-BU-BU-BULL!" Benkei shouted. "You _are_ a nice person, Kyoya!"

"Keep it down!" a raspy voice snapped. "I'm trying to sleep!" Everyone turned to the couch, where Ryuga was propping himself up with his elbow. He winced as his tender ribs hindered his movements. Kenta didn't expect his mentor to wake up so soon; then again, Ryuga wasn't one to sleep for too long.

"You're awake!" Madoka said, surprise in her voice.

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><p>That was quick, huh? Well, I was feeling lazy. "Problem?" - Kyoya, Hopeless Pursuit Chapter 3, just now<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

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><p>"I'm awake." Ryuga blinked drowsily and rubbed his eyes, the yellow irises seeming larger than usual. Yu eagerly pounced on his former idol, whilst Kenta stood rooted to his spot, unsure if it was safe to hug him, even though he wanted to.<p>

Ryuga hissed in pain, trying to shove Yu off him. Tsubasa carefully lifted the young boy off his chest. "Yu!"

"Sorry," Yu said apologetically. "I forgot..."

"You're twelve! Quit jumping on people!" Tsubasa snapped. Ryuga glanced around the room, confusion and panic gracing his features for a few seconds, before his usual scowl took over again. He met each person's gaze with his own, as if trying to extract an explanation from them. Gradually, his trembling right hand traveled to his left arm, stroking the smooth, tanned surface. He frowned. "Where's L-Drago?" he asked, sitting up.

But his eyes said otherwise.

_He knows_, Kenta realized. _He knows, and he wants me to prove him wrong. But... I can't lie to him._

Every person in the room exchanged helpless glances; they didn't know what to do either.

"Where's L-Drago?" His eyes grew desperate. Kenta just shook his head, unable to speak.

"Don't you remember?" Madoka said, her voice tinged with uncertainty and a little fear. "It disintigrated-"

Ryuga growled. "That's not true," he snapped stubbornly. Gingka stared at him, pity evident in his honey-brown eyes. "But-"

"That's not true, that's not true, that's not true!" Ryuga yelled, his fingers digging into the edge of the couch. "L-Drago _can't_ be gone!" Kenta reached out and grabbed his hand, trying to soothe the panicked teen. "It's gonna be alright, Ryuga," he said. He didn't know what else to say to comfort him.

"You know we're not lying," Kyoya said. "Don't deny it."

At the blue-eyed blader's words, Ryuga looked down at Kenta's hand, still gripping his own. His yellow eyes burned wildly with fury and grief; closed them tightly and gritted his sharp teeth - bit his lip until blood dripped out and slid down his chin. _He's trying not to cry._ Kenta suddenly felt a pressurizing pain in his hand, and realized that Ryuga was crushing it in a vise-like grip, as if it were his lifeline. But strangely, he didn't mind at all; his friend was hurting, and he wanted him to feel better.

"Shut up!" Ryuga snarled, like a child throwing a tantrum. "Just shut up and leave me alone!" He pulled his long legs closer to his body and laid his head on his knees.

For a moment, the room was deafeningly silent. "Kenta, is it okay if I prepare some food?" Madoka asked. Kenta nodded. "I'll get you something to eat and drink, 'kay Ryuga?" she asked, heading to the kitchen. Ryuga only grunted, as if he didn't care whether he ate or not - as if he didn't care about anything and anyone, including himself.

"It's like he lost his will to live," Kenta murmured, half to himself. Ryuga opened an eye, glared at Kenta half-heartedly, then closed it again in defeat. "Ryuga..." Yu's voice cracked and he reached out tentatively, and laid his hand on Ryuga's arm.

"Beyblade's everything to you, isn't it?" Gingka collapsed onto the other couch beside Benkei. Looking into the Pegasus-wielder's dark, shining eyes, Kenta could tell that he wanted Ryuga to answer. But instead, the golden-eyed teen pretended not to hear Gingka; he probably didn't even hear him at all.

They stood (and sat) in silence until Madoka came back with a steaming bowl of soup. She set the tray on the coffee table. "You want me to feed you?" she asked.

Ryuga scowled. "I'll do it myself."

Madoka backed off in surrender. "Just trying to help."

Ryuga tried to hide his pained grimace as he swung his legs over the side of the couch and put the bowl onto his lap. He lifted the container to rest underneath his chin and slowly brought a spoonful of the hot broth to his lips, then another one. Kenta noticed that his friend's eyes never left the shiny utensil, as if he was putting all of his concentration into not letting a single drop fall.

As the former blader brooded on the couch, the others started conversations of their own, unable to continue the silence. Kenta joined in, engaging himself in a heated argument with Benkei about the winners of the previous Beyblade tournaments.

They ate lunch quickly, then snacked on goods from the bake sale.

Suddenly, they heard a strangled yelp. Ryuga was sitting up, clutching at his throat and gasping for air. Sweat beaded his face and the irises of his eyes seemed to be tiny dots. He looked around quickly, then realizing that he had an audience, he calmed down and presumably went back to sleep.

Kenta stared at his mentor in concern. Ryuga never had nightmares when they were traveling.

"Are you okay?" he asked him. Ryuga pulled the blankets over his head in response, but Kenta could still hear his slow, heavy breathing. He sighed.

"How long are you gonna stay like this?" Benkei asked. "BU-BU-BULL!"

Ryuga rolled over on his side and glared at him. "You shut your trap, before I shut it for you."

Madoka scowled at Benkei. "He needs time; his Beyblade just disappeared, remember?" she snapped. Benkei nodded. "If I lost Bull, I don't know what I'd do," he admitted. "Exactly!" Gingka exclaimed. "You need to think about how you'd feel if it happened to you."

"Well, Ryuga's not exactly the most... nicest... person..." Benkei stuttered.

"He's still here!" Kyoya grumbled, noticing how the three were talking as if Ryuga wasn't awake; it was nice that he was coming to his defense. Both teens were listening to every word being said, wearing identical expressions of slight irritation.

Kenta and Yu exchanged a glance and grinned in amusement.

Gingka, Benkei, and Madoka closed their mouths, transferring their gazes to Ryuga, who rolled his eyes and burrowed underneath the blankets again.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. But I wished I owned it; I never would've let Ryuga die. Instead, I'd let him jump across the stadium in the middle of their battle and headbutt Rago, which would hurt because of his headpiece. Then Rago would get knocked unconscious, Nemesis would stop spinning, then Ryuga would smash Nemesis under his foot. And he'd glare at Pluto, who would run away screaming like a little girl.

MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! (Spins around in Evil Maniac chair, which is what I'm now calling the recliner.)

* * *

><p>"Ryuga!" Kenta yelled, rounding a corner. <em>Where is he?<em>

It has been a good two weeks after he had discovered Ryuga unconscious in the park. So far, his mentor was not acting like an injured person. Quite the opposite, actually. He was restless and wandered around constantly; the farthest away he went from the house was to the Bey Coliseum outside of town, which was impressive.

"Hey, Kenta!" Osamu, Takashi, and Akira were heading towards him. The three bladers were always together, and Kenta admired how close they were.

"Hey, you guys," Kenta greeted them. "Have you seen Ryuga?" His friends each looked at him strangely. "Why are you looking for Ryuga?" Osamu asked him. "I thought he was dead," Takashi added. It was strange, how those three always talked in order...

_"Don't tell anyone about him."_ When Ryo had said that the previous day, it was slightly confusing. _Why shouldn't people know about Ryuga's return?_

Kenta scratched the back of his neck. "Um... I was... talking about another Ryuga - my cousin's pet..." His eyes darted around, desperately scrambling for an appropriate answer, but his mind was a blank.

"Frog!" he exclaimed. "Yeah - I'm looking for my cousin's frog... named Ryuga."

Osamu exchanged glances with Takashi and Akira, obviously thinking the same thing - _He's nuts._

Kenta didn't blame them. "He's a wild one, that Ryuga," he said.

They nodded slowly. Then, Akira piped up. "Wouldn't he be dead right now?" he asked.

"You don't know Ryuga." _Why am I ending every sentence with "Ryuga?"_ He flashed them one last too-wide grin and continued down the block.

Then, he _literally_ ran into Ryuga, who glowered at him threateningly underneath a baseball cap that the adults (_cough_RyoandHotaruc_ough_) had made him adopt. (A/N: I just _love_ putting Ryuga underneath baseball caps; it's _so_ fun!) The Band-Aid on his left jaw made him look more threatening. "I'm not a frog," he growled, clenching his still-bandaged hands into fists. "I _hate_ frogs."

"I guess you heard that," Kenta said, laughing sheepishly. _And is__ there anything you _don't_ hate?_ he thought. "Time to go home. Mom's waiting." He stopped. "I meant - my mom, not... yours... You're mom... is... where?"

Ryuga scowled at him. "In a mental asylum."

Kenta stopped smiling. "No offense, but that's not very... funny." The dead-serious expression on Ryuga's shadowed face told him that he was not joking.

"Never mind."

The former blader snorted and shoved past him, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets, lowering his head, and hunching his shoulders. The brief feeling of humor gone, Kenta suddenly got the feeling that Ryuga _wanted_ to hide himself from the rest of the world.

_Of_ _course_, Kenta thought dryly._ I would too, if I was once an all-powerful blader who was feared and admired all over the world, who lost to some newbie blader and was knocked unconscious by one Special Move, then gave his Star Fragment to some puny kid, lost his super-awesome Beyblade, died, then somehow appeared out of the blue, only to ask for help from that same puny kid he had given his Star Fragment to._

Kenta knew that he was insulting both himself _and_ Ryuga, but so long as Ryuga didn't hear it, he'd be fine. And Kenta, well, he was used to beating himself up.

The young blader followed the sound of Ryuga's heavy boots (he kept his old ones) thudding deliberately on the sidewalk, but he was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that Ryuga had stopped walking, and bumped into him.

The older teen whipped around to glare at Kenta once again, but this one faltered. "I... forgot how to get back to your house," he said, his voice almost a whisper. He tried to hide a microscopic flicker of embarrassment, but his voice quivered, giving him away.

Kenta resisted the urge to laugh, but he couldn't help it; a muffled guffaw escaped his lips before he burst into all-out laughter. He leaned on a mailbox to prevent himself from toppling over.

Ryuga muttered something inaudible under his breath, probably a curse. In the shadow of his cap, a rosy red tinge crept across his face, but Kenta wasn't sure - he was too close to tears.

Out of both of them, Ryuga always had the best sense of direction - in the untamed wilderness, anyway - as he could scale and jump cliffs without a moment's hesitation, and find a city in the middle of nowhere. Put him in a tiny maze of a city - full of noisy people and an assortment of smells and sounds and sights - and he's lost. Anyway, it was hilarious to think about.

"It's not funny," Ryuga muttered, as Kenta stopped laughing and bent over to catch his breath.

"Y-Yes it is!" Kenta said, trying to ignore the people staring at them in confusion.

"Now you're just getting carried away." Ryuga put a warm hand - rough with bandages - on Kenta's forehead and shoved him off the side of the mailbox. The younger boy landed on his rump onto the sidewalk, still grinning hysterically.

Ryuga huffed, turned on his heel, and stalked away, shoving past people who glared at him indignantly.

Kenta, still on the ground, pointed to the opposite direction. "House's that way." He watched in amusement as his mentor turned around once _again _and stormed past him. This time, the deep red blush on his cheeks, ears, and neck was unmistakable, even under the cap.

"I knew that."

* * *

><p>I love messing with Ryuga... just as much as I love putting him in baseball caps and opened button-down shirts! He's smexy! -^.^-<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

DIE, RAGO, DIE!

* * *

><p>EDIT: Just needed to fix a little grammar error...<p>

* * *

><p>"Not again," Ryo muttered. Then, he raised his voice. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'HE'S GONE?'"<p>

Kenta scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't know."

"You were supposed to be watching him!" Gingka's father said.

Hotaru sighed; his mother seemed a little amused at Ryo's reaction. "Mr. Hagane," she began.

"The Immortal Phoenix!"

"Mr. Hagane," - Ryo pouted at this - "Ryuga's a growing boy; he needs his freedom. He can't be cooped up in a house doing nothing all day." She tossed a box of cookies to Yu, who caught it and smiled enthusiastically as he started nibbling on the treats.

Hotaru continued. "You should be grateful that he's getting some exercise, while other kids just sit around in their homes staring at the computer screen." (A/N: That's me! Yay!)

"Hey!" Madoka protested. (A/N: Or it could be _her_ too...) She protectively hugged her mini-laptop to her chest, as if she was afraid that someone was going to take it away from her.

Gingka patted her shoulder in mock comfort.

Ryo shook his head in amusement. "Growing _boy_?" He raised a lightning-shaped eyebrow skeptically. "I looked up his files... and I found out that he's turning eighteen four months from now. He is far past his 'Growing Boy' stage."

_Did not know that_, Kenta thought to himself.

"You have his files?" Madoka, Benkeu, Yu, and Gingka gasped. "Lemme see!"

They were ignored.

"Okay, maybe not a growing boy," Hotaru corrected herself. "But note that he's not used to being around so many people; we can't blame him for wanting a little peace and quiet... and _privacy_." She glared pointedly at Yu, who raised his hands defensively. "It only happened once!" he squeaked. "And I had a nightmare! And I was cold!"

"That's no excuse to barge into the guest room and jump on top of him!" Kenta said. "Again!" He thought back to the first time that Ryuga had woken up.

"Well, he was really warm," Yu stated, hugging himself and making cutesy faces at Hotaru. "And he didn't say anything."

Kyoya snorted, which was the first sound he had made since he arrived. "He barely says anything these days," he scoffed. The others nodded assent.

Hotaru smiled faintly. "Sometimes, I think that all that boy needs is affection. Makes me wonder what made him end up the way he is."

_How about his mother ending up in the crazy house?_ Kenta thought wryly.

Madoka stared at Hotaru, squinting her turquoise eyes. "You sound like you wanna adopt him."

Before Kenta's mother could say anything, the door swung open.

Everyone turned to the figure in the doorway; Ryuga. Brand-new bruises and scrapes adorned his arms and face, and his left hand was pressed onto his lips, as if trying to cover a nasty wound. Kenta noticed that the skin on his mentor's elbows and hands was peeling, revealing raw and dark pink flesh.

Hotaru was by his side in a golden flash. "My goodness!" she gasped. "What happened to you?" She frantically examined him for more injuries. Kenta was amused to see that Ryuga didn't look too comfortable; that didn't hide the glimmer of affection in his yellow eyes. "I was being chased, then I fell," Ryuga said quietly.

_Tripped?_ Nobody in the room looked like they believed what he said: "then I fell." Even Yu; well, it was hard not to laugh at Yu, since he was stuffing himself with cookies.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Hotaru stood up and hurried to the hall closet to get some medical supplies.

A familiar, bitter feeling fluttered in Kenta's chest - jealousy; his mother never paid much attention to him nowadays - she was usually focused on the current projects with the neighbors, or caring for Ryuga, who was - right now - shifting uncomfortably and wincing as Hotaru bandaged his left arm.

Kenta had always thought of his mother as a little clumsy, and often fussy and annoyingly protective. But he guessed that according to what Ryuga had said a couple of days earlier - about his mom being in a mental hospital - that he probably never felt a mother's love.

And thinking about the former blader's past, he was suddenly conscious of how lucky he was to have his mother around.

_It's kinda sad_, Kenta thought, frowning slightly; _The world's more imperfect than most people think_...

Kenta jumped in surprise as Ryuga hissed, wrenching his right arm away from Hotaru, who drew back. "Alright!" she yelped, throwing the tiny bottle of medicine over her shoulder in surrender. "I won't use it, if that's what you want." She held out her hand. "Arm."

Ryuga stared at her - a guarded look in his eyes - as he inched to the opposite end of the couch. He was holding his arm close to his body, as if trying to protect it. The cut on his lower lip was emitting a tiny trickle of blood that dripped down his chin, now that his left hand wasn't suppressing the wound.

Hotaru stared right back - her usual technique for calming panicked children.

_Ryuga's not a kid_, Kenta mused. _But it's working._ Ryuga slowly extended his arm, the tanned surface of which looked rough and tender with whitish ridges of peeled skin.

"How do you get yourself into these situations, Ryuga?" Hotaru murmured as she gently applied a damp cloth to his damaged skin. Kenta spotted Ryuga biting his lip, probably trying to distract himself from the pain.

Or he was just trying not to scream.

Then again, Ryuga wasn't a screamer.

"Who chased you?" Gingka asked.

Ryuga said nothing, then winced as Hotaru snugly pulled at the bandage.

"Could it be your former Face Hunters, Kyoya?" Ryo asked.

The Leone-wielder shrugged. "Who knows what those good-for-nothing losers are up to?"

"That's not nice, Kyoya," Madoka said. "After all, they used to like, worship you."

He scowled at her.

"Aw! Tsubasa, no!" Yu whined, trying to grab the TV remote. The Eagle blader was holding it quite easily out of his companion's reach, a faint smirk on his face. "Try to get it, little boy."

"Tsubasaaaaaa! Spongebob's on now!"

"I hate that show," everyone in the room - save Ryuga and Hotaru - chorused.

Yu pouted. "Why? Spongebob's awesome!"

"He's annoying," Madoka said. "So is Patrick, and Squidward, and Mr. Krabs, and all those dumb Bikini Bottom citizens."

Yu tugged on Ryuga's black tank top. "You think Spongebob's cool, right, Ryuga?"

"What's Spongebob?"

Everyone stared at him in confusion. "Are you serious?" Yu asked him, letting go.

He got a slow nod in response.

"Do you even watch TV?"

A shake of the head.

"What?" Gingka exclaimed, hugging Ryuga, who tried to pry him off. "This... this is horrible!" He had tears in his eyes. "Ryuga doesn't watch TV! How... Ryuga? How do you do it? How do you survive without the beautiful motion-picture technology that is television?"

"Please, don't," Ryuga muttered pleadingly.

Gingka let go. "I'm gonna help you!"

"And he did." The former blader facepalmed.

The Pegasus-wielder rose from his sitting position on Ryuga's lap, his fist raised in the air. "I'm gonna teach Ryuga how to have fun!" he announced loudly, his honey-brown eyes shining.

Everyone sighed in defeat as Ryuga stood up, put his index finger to the side of Gingka's head, and pushed him off the couch.

* * *

><p>Hikaru doesn't want to come in. XD<p>

You don't know what you're missing out on, Hippity-Hop!


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:**

Me: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

I don't feel like insulting Rago here... but I'll still do it!

I HATE YOU SOOOO MUCH, RAGO! I WISH THAT YOU DIED, NOT RYUGA! HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO DIE!

Back to Kenta's POV. (A/N: This is the last chapter because I'm starting another story soon, and it's hard switching between one story and another. Ryuga is OC in the end because he's gonna get emotional about his past... and stuff.)

* * *

><p>Kenta couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement as Gingka shifted the ice pack on his black eye uncomfortably. Ryuga was leaning against the wall behind the couch, a broad smirk of satisfaction and pride on his face as he watched his rival squirm in pain.<p>

"Ow!" Gingka yelped. "Ow! Ow!"

"That's what you get for sticking your nose into places it doesn't belong," Kyoya said.

The Pegasus-wielder pouted at his rival. "Neh! Mind your own business!"

"I will when you start dieting!"

"Never!"

"That's what I thought," Kyoya said, smirking. Kenta knew that there was no taking Gingka away from his little world of hamburgers, hot dogs, candy, and... basically any kind of junk food. "Better luck next time, Kyoya," he told the Leone blader, who "hmphed" and crossed his arms.

Madoka did not take her eyes off her computer. "Gingka Hagane, if you keep bothering people like you did with _Ryuga_ this morning, you're going to end up injured in the hospital, like what usually happens to Tsubasa and Yu."

"Hey!" Yu exclaimed, and surprisingly, Tsubasa had joined in as well; a blader's pride.

"Yes, Gingka," Ryo said. "I don't want to be the one to pay the hospital bill."

"DAD!"

Ryo raised his hands. "Hey! More and more powerful bladers are rising, and soon, we're gonna need money to repair the stadiums," he argued. Gingka sighed. "Fine, Dad." Then, he glared at Ryuga. "And you! Quit smirking like that!"

"Why should I?"

"You think that it's funny when someone gets hurt?"

"Pfft. Just you."

Gingka scowled and turned his head around, trying to control his temper, probably. "Ryuga, what's your last name?" he asked. Kenta felt a dreaded silence cover the room. Gingka had gone too far this time, asking such a personal (and perhaps painful) question.

Ryuga seem fazed by the question, just growled, "You want another black eye, Hagane?"

"If you two don't stop bickering," Hotaru told them darkly. "I will put you both in time-out!"

Kenta stared blankly at his mother, feeling a little embarrassed. "Mom, that punishment's for little kids!" he protested. But Ryuga was already curling up into a ball. "I'm so sorry!" he whimpered. "I'm so sorry! I promise I'll be good! Please don't hurt me!"

Everyone stared at him in confusion, like _Is he messing with us? _He looked up, eyes watering slightly. "But if you do give me a time-out, I'll take the baseball bat over the rusty spoon! And make it quick!" _He looks so vulnerable - no way he could be faking_, Kenta realized.

"What are you talking about?" Ryo asked.

Hotaru knelt down, wrapped her arms around Ryuga, and ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "Oh, honey, I'm not going to hurt you. No one's gonna hurt you like that because you're always gonna be safe here, okay?" _There goes my jealousy again_, Kenta thought.

Gingka leaned over the back of the couch. "What did you think a time-out was?"

Suddenly, Ryuga seemed to realize that he wasn't alone in the room, and wriggled away from Hotaru. "I was just kidding," he muttered unconvincingly. "You're not exactly the 'kidding' type, Yuga," Yu pointed out, putting air quotes around the word "kidding."

Ryuga snarled at him. "Don't _ever_ call me Yuga AGAIN!" Yu shrugged, obviously unaffected. "After that battle with Nemesis, nothing scares me anymore," he said.

Hotaru grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Come on, Ryuga," she said. "Give." He sighed, trying to look indifferent, but the toe of his right boot kept on pounding the ground, as if he couldn't keep still. "My mother said that time-outs usually include people getting hurt," he admitted. Ignoring everyone's shocked reactions, he stared at Kenta, who blurted out, "_That's_ how she ended up in the mental hospital, right?"

"You knew about that?" Madoka asked him. "He told me, right before he" - Kenta stifled a laugh - "got lost on the way home."

Ryuga's nostrils flared - so different from the other side of him that was seen when he cowered in fear. "No, no, honey," Hotaru said, looking like she pitied him; she did, no doubt. "Time-outs don't involve baseball bats or _rusty spoons_." She looked like she was caught off guard by the words "rusty spoons."

"My mom said they did!" Ryuga argued.

"But whaddup with the rusty spoon?" Benkei asked loudly.

"You have no idea what those little monsters can do."

Hotaru sighed. "I don't want to hear about the spoon."

But Ryuga probably didn't hear her. "The spoon that our mother used has sharp edges. She used to shove the thing into our belly buttons and-"

"No!" Kenta's mother shrieked. "Gross!"

"-twist it until we started to bleed and scream-"

"That's enough verbal torture!" Hotaru clamped a hand over Ryuga's mouth. "I'm gonna be sick," Gingka said, clutching his stomach. Tsubasa - his skin as white as a sheet of paper - was trying to calm down Yu, who was already bawling like a baby.

Kenta himself was feeling terrible as well - at the bloody mental image he had conjured. _Why did he have to be so descriptive?_

"But I haven't even gotten to the painful part yet," Ryuga stated, slightly tilting his head to the side.

"There's a painful part?" everyone yelped.

"Duh - there's always a painful part," he said. Hotaru and Ryo rubbed his back. "It would be best for all of us if we didn't hear about that," Ryo said, shuddering. "Yes, honey," Hotaru said with a slight grimace. "Yu looks like he's about to pass out."

"... Then the rust would mix with the blood and get the wounds infected..."

Yu collapsed onto the floor at Tsubasa's feet. Gingka and Benkei pushed each other as they bolted to the bathroom. Ryuga gave everyone a weird look. "That wasn't even the painful part."

"Th-That w-wasn't it?" Ryo stammered.

Hotaru patted Ryuga's shoulder with a trembling hand. She looked like she was about to cry hysterically. That, or hug him and _then_ cry hysterically. "I don't know how painful that kind of torture is," she said. "But your mother is a sick, _sick_ person."

Ryuga just shrugged.

* * *

><p>That night, Kenta knocked on the guest room's door. The light filtering from the room and into the hallway shifted as dark blotches intercepted it. Ryuga opened the door, his form blocking out half the brightness illuminating the doorway. It was the first time that Kenta noticed how much weight (and confidence) his mentor had lost every since Nemesis' ressurection.<p>

"About that time-out thing..." Kenta began. "... You weren't kidding, were you?"

Ryuga shifted his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I wasn't. All true." He was about to slam the door shut, but Kenta put his hand and eased it to a stop. "Can I come in?"

Sigh...

Kenta took this as a yes and shuffled into the room. "Why don't you trust anyone?"

"I can't."

"We're just trying to help you, Ryuga. We're your friends!" Kenta wasn't really sure how the former blader would take those two statements, but he couldn't help but say what was on his mind. "I don't have any friends," Ryuga deadpanned, sitting down onto the bed. "I don't want any." Kenta was taken aback.

"I don't want any," Ryuga repeated softly.

"But... why?" Kenta yelled. "Is it because you have way too much pride to even consider other people but yourself?" He didn't understand why anyone would want to be alone. "Everyone wants to be loved and needed, Ryuga. I'm sure that 'everyone' includes you."

"I... I'm tired of the pain, Kenta." His voice trembled.

"Huh...?"

"I'm tired of it!" he screamed, turning away from Kenta. "I'm tired of the people that I love getting hurt - because of me! I just... I don't want to get close to anyone else because I might cause them pain, and they might do the same thing back!" His shoulders jerked up and down, as if he was crying. "I don't like pain."

"But we would never-"

"My father died protecting me when I was five. I _saw_ him _die_, Kenta!" He gripped the sheets tightly, his arms as rigid and straight as tree trunks. "So... S-So much blood..." He shuddered as he took a deep breath. "It's a burden that I've been carrying for almost thirteen years! He was _murdered_! And I couldn't do anything to save him! I felt so helpless and weak! Th-They just held me there and m-made me watch as they put a bullet through his head!" He raised an arm to his eyes and wiped at them.

"Ryuga..." Kenta felt his own tears rising to the surface and sliding down his face. He lifted himself onto the bed and wrapped his arms around the former blader's waist, trying to comfort him. Ryuga didn't even try to push him off.

"My mother went insane when I came back home by myself - all beaten up - and told her that he was dead. She tried to kill herself, but I told her that it wasn't worth it. She... She agreed, then tried to kill _me_. I mean... it wasn't that she was wrong - it was my fault he died. Then they put her in that mental house and took me and my brother Ryuto to the orphanage. Then we ran away and a couple of weeks later, he disappeared, and a few years later, I discovered that he became a treasure hunter! He didn't even visit."

"Then Doji adopted me and started training me. He was like a father, until both of us started to obsess over L-Drago... You know what? I can't do this anymore!" He dug his fists into the mattress, making a cracking sound.

"I'm sorry that you had to say all that, Ryuga," Kenta said, tightening his grip around his mentor. "I never knew... But we _could_ be your friends, Ryuga! While you're here, nobody's going to hurt you. And you're not going to be hurting anyone! I swear on my Blader's Spirit that you never have to go through all that emotional and physical pain that you experienced during your childhood! I swear it!"

Ryuga turned his head a little to face him, and it was clear that he was crying. "I don't know if I could trust anyone, Kenta," he whispered, rubbing his eyes and trying to get rid of the tears that were uncontrollably rolling down his cheeks.

"You could trust me, Ryuga," Kenta said. "And my mother, and Yu, and Ryo, and Gingka-" Ryuga put a hand on Kenta's forehead and gently distanced himself from him, scowling. "Listen, Kenta, I'm glad that you guys are trying to help, but..." There was a twinkle of humor in his yellow eyes. "You're mad if you think I'd cry on Horse Butt's shoulder."

"You get used to Horse B - uh, I mean, Gingka - eventually," Kenta said. "And Hikaru has yet to meet you without screaming her head off."

"She's crazy."

"You two should just make up and be friends, ya know?" Kenta suggested, elbowing Ryuga. The former blader smiled slightly and put a hand on Kenta's head, ruffling his hair.

"Probably."

* * *

><p>Thanks for everyone who read this and reviewed!<p>

~DragonFang2011


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